As the Northern Witch had divined, Rhine had indeed fallen right into the heart of the Land of Oz—Emerald City.
When he nded, no one immediately realized that he had arrived. Contrary to the rumors, the city wasn’t built from dazzling emeralds. In reality, it looked just like any other city.
Upon nding, Rhine took out his crystal ball and performed divinations on Aurora, Pinocchio, Maleficent, and the Eastern Witch.
As always, his attempt to divine Maleficent yielded no results, but the others’ readings worked normally.
After confirming that "the Eastern Witch is dead" and that both Pinocchio and Aurora were safe, Rhine finally felt relieved.
He saw the Munchkins treating Aurora as a hero and watched as Aurora and Dorothy traveled together toward Emerald City.
"It's a shame… I’ve never been to the Land of Oz before. I’m unfamiliar with this pce, so I can’t teleport directly to Aurora," Rhine sighed.
He decided to stay in Emerald City for a few days and wait for Aurora and Dorothy to arrive.
It wasn’t until then that he took the time to observe his surroundings.
He noticed many people walking past him, all wearing green-tinted gsses.
"Everyone is wearing green gsses… No wonder they call it Emerald City," Rhine muttered.
According to the original story, Emerald City wasn’t truly special, but Oz had ordered every citizen to wear green gsses.
That way, the entire city appeared to be a beautiful, gleaming emerald paradise to those who lived there.
It reinforced the belief that Oz was a mighty and powerful wizard—after all, only an extraordinary magician could build such a fantastical city!
"Come to think of it, it’s been 11 years since Magician Oz left the Rose Kingdom, came to this nd, and was mistakenly revered as a great wizard," Rhine mused.
"So many years have passed in a fsh. That circus performer from back then… somehow, he’s ended up as a king."
"Since I’m already in the Land of Oz, I might as well visit the pace and meet Oz in person."
Rhine was confident that Oz would remember him—after all, he was once the Sage of the Rose Kingdom.
Oz might not know magic, but he was still the ruler of this nd.
If Rhine could gain his help and support, finding Maleficent—who had also nded somewhere in the Land of Oz—would be much easier.
As he walked toward the pace, he couldn’t help but think, I have no idea where Maleficent is hiding, but it’d be best to find and kill her before she regains her full power.
"Otherwise, trying to deal with her on nd will be a nightmare."
As Rhine walked through the city, his ck of green gsses made him stand out too much, and he was quickly noticed by a group of guards.
"How dare you walk around without wearing gsses? That’s completely against the rules!" one soldier barked, stopping Rhine.
"Do you realize how dangerous that is? You’ll go blind!" another soldier scolded. "Emerald City is far too bright and dazzling!"
"When you entered the city, the gate guards should have given you a pair! Wait—don’t tell me you sneaked in?" a third soldier accused.
Rhine sighed and expined, "I fell from the sky. A powerful spell sent me here."
The soldiers exchanged skeptical gnces, their expressions clearly saying, Do you take us for fools?
"Right, I’m a magician," Rhine added.
The guards scrutinized him closely.
He was indeed wearing a wizard’s robe—though it looked white to him, their green-tinted gsses made it appear green. The robe was only dusty from the fall.
"That makes it even worse!" the soldiers shouted.
"Don’t you know? The great Oz has decreed that no magician is allowed to enter Emerald City without special permission!"
"I’ve never heard of such a rule," Rhine said, shrugging.
That wasn’t in the original story.
Why would Oz forbid magicians from entering his city? he wondered. There has to be a deeper reason behind this.
"The rule is posted right at the city gate!" one soldier huffed. "Any magician, or anyone ciming to be one, must report to the great Oz and obtain special permission before entering. You couldn’t even read the sign?"
Rhine spread his hands. "Like I said, I fell from the sky. How was I supposed to see the notice at the gate?"
The guards sighed, exasperated.
Since this outsider had vioted not one, but two major rules, they had no choice but to arrest him.
Rhine, however, didn’t resist—he had a better pn to get out of this situation.
The soldiers led him to a small, dark, and cold room with nothing inside.
One soldier gave him instructions, "Stay here for now. I’ll go to the city gate and get you an extra pair of gsses. You’re not allowed to walk around the streets without them."
Another soldier added, "Even if you get the gsses if you are a magician, you still can’t roam freely. We’ll need to report to Oz and ask for his permission. If the great Oz doesn’t approve, we’ll have to kick you out."
Rhine nodded, indicating his willingness to comply with the city’s rules.
Before leaving, the officer in charge picked up a form and asked, "By the way, what’s your name? We need to record your identity and background."
"My name is Rhine. I’m a magician from the Rose Kingdom, outside of the Land of Oz," Rhine answered truthfully.
The officer lifted his pen but suddenly froze, his pupils diting.
"Wait… What did you say your name was? And where are you from? A magician, you said?" he asked, tense with disbelief.
"Rhine. From the Rose Kingdom. A magician," Rhine repeated.
The soldiers burst into ughter.
The fattest of them clutched his stomach, ughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"This is the funniest joke I’ve heard all day! Alright, enough wasting time—just tell us your real name and background," the officer said, still chuckling.
Rhine twitched at the corner of his mouth. A suspicion formed in his mind.
"I’m telling the truth. Why do you think I’m joking?" he asked.
The officer’s ughter stopped, and he became serious.
All the soldiers spoke in unison:
"In Emerald City, everyone knows that Rhine from the Rose Kingdom was the great Oz’s teacher. He’s the one who taught the great Oz magic!"
"Eleven years ago, the great wizard Oz bid farewell to his teacher and came to this nd."
